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Unusual AC Problem

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Hunter Dog

Active Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2015
Messages
249
We have an 86 GN. We have an unusual AC problem that to our knowledge has been present since we have owned the car since 2020.

We can run the AC for about 45 minutes and everything works fine with water coming out of the drain hole like it is supposed to.

But at this time is when the issues begin. The AC fan setting can be low or high and it can be on max, normal or bi level, none of these things appear to make any difference. At the 45 minute mark the water no longer runs out of the drain hole, not even at a slower pace. The plastic housing behind the glove box and above the feet of the passenger begins to have minor condensation in the entire area and then about five minutes later begins to have a drip at a similar pace to what it did from the drain hole. Within minutes the carpet is completely wet from this leak.

I can make this happen like clockwork. Does anyone have a clue what can be causing this and what can be done?

Thank you for your time in advance.
 
The coil is freezing into a solid block of ice. When it finally freezes up enough to halt all the airflow, it starts to melt and overflows into your floorpans.

It's probably low on refrigerant.
 
I will check out the refrigerant level. Thank you
dirty orifice tube.jpg
 
Had some time today to dig into the AC system with a knowledgable mechanic friend. Over the last three trials over the last week we had all lines freeze up in one trial with no water coming from the drain tube and had two trials where it did not freeze up but water did drain out.

During our adding of refrigerate being hopeful that was all we needed to do the AC inside cabin stayed in the 48-50 degree range with outdoor temp around 85 with car parked even with two cans of refrigerant added. The air and lines were cool but not cold. In this trial, no water dripped from the drain hole and the clutch on the compressor never kicked on and off, it ran the entire time.

We decided to drain all the refrigerant out unfortunately and pulled the orifice tube which we attached a picture of. It was filthy, no metal shavings, just oily dirt, grime, hard to describe it really. Upon seeing this, we replaced the ac accumulator as well since I had a new one on hand.

We charged the system with 3.5 12 oz cans. We were able to get the inside cabin temperature while idling to 38 and when driving home down to 32. We continued not to see any water coming from the drain hole until driving the car and I got home.

So, have we found the source and root cause of our issue? Not yet 100% sure because we did not see water drain at the rate we think it should have from the drain hole but then again we went from working in the sun to the shade and the temperature dropped. I am going to watch this the next time out and see if the temperature remains low in the cabin and if water is draining from the drain plug or not.

If this does not solve the issue I will post another update.
Thanks for the comments on this thread.
 
Poor air flow thru the condenser will contribute to this issue.
We put a floor fan in ft of the grille and put the rad fan on high.
 
Had some time today to dig into the AC system with a knowledgable mechanic friend. Over the last three trials over the last week we had all lines freeze up in one trial with no water coming from the drain tube and had two trials where it did not freeze up but water did drain out.

During our adding of refrigerate being hopeful that was all we needed to do the AC inside cabin stayed in the 48-50 degree range with outdoor temp around 85 with car parked even with two cans of refrigerant added. The air and lines were cool but not cold. In this trial, no water dripped from the drain hole and the clutch on the compressor never kicked on and off, it ran the entire time.

We decided to drain all the refrigerant out unfortunately and pulled the orifice tube which we attached a picture of. It was filthy, no metal shavings, just oily dirt, grime, hard to describe it really. Upon seeing this, we replaced the ac accumulator as well since I had a new one on hand.

We charged the system with 3.5 12 oz cans. We were able to get the inside cabin temperature while idling to 38 and when driving home down to 32. We continued not to see any water coming from the drain hole until driving the car and I got home.

So, have we found the source and root cause of our issue? Not yet 100% sure because we did not see water drain at the rate we think it should have from the drain hole but then again we went from working in the sun to the shade and the temperature dropped. I am going to watch this the next time out and see if the temperature remains low in the cabin and if water is draining from the drain plug or not.

If this does not solve the issue I will post another update.
Thanks for the comments on this thread.
That clogged orifice tube is a bad sign. that debris came from somewhere, and the only thing in the system with moving parts that can shed debris is the compressor. It'll also make the system act like it's low on refridgerant because flow through the tube is constricted. It can also cause excessive high side pressure which will cut the compressor off, making it short cycle, which also looks like it's low.

You can clean it up and slap it back together, but you're chasing the inevitable. The system's contaminated and the compressor is on the way out. Start planning for a full replacement.
 
I have changed a compressor on another GN of ours before, not the end of the world if we have to do so. The compressor on this car we bought used 5 years ago has not been changed by us so we will see if it bites the dust soon enough. Thanks for the input ! I will keep an eye on it.
 
I have changed a compressor on another GN of ours before, not the end of the world if we have to do so. The compressor on this car we bought used 5 years ago has not been changed by us so we will see if it bites the dust soon enough. Thanks for the input ! I will keep an eye on it.
That tracks. If you have a compressor failure and do not replace the rest of the system, it will fail again in short order.

When I said full replacement, I meant everything. Compressor, drier, lines, condensor, and the evaporator. There's no way to truly and properly flush these out, there's always crap left in there. If you don't replace it all, the gunk just migrates back to the compressor and destroys it.
 
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